FallsFest 2013 in Pictures

While moving FallsFest from Lucy Park to the MPEC was a traumatic event for some, it seems to have worked out fairly well for the evening performances. If you wanted to bring your lawn chair and sit up close to the stage like you would have in Lucy Park, you could. If you wanted to back off a bit and watch from a little farther away, you could do that, too. But in the Kay Yeager Coliseum, you had stadium seats to sit in.

In true FallsFest tradition there was a lively bunch of fans crowded around the front of the stage, hanging out with their friends, singing along with the band and enjoying a cold beverage or two. And, yes, you bought them with your Beer or Food tickets just like you always do at FallsFest. But this year nobody was swatting mosquitoes or choking on the dust kicked up by a few thousand feet. Purchasing those beverages was easier, too, with several points inside the coliseum to take your order. And when the inevitable trip to the restrooms took place, there was no standing in line for port-a-potties. This year, everyone got to use real bathrooms!

Friday night's entertainment proved very entertaining with local band Crosswind kicking things off followed by the extremely fun and energetic Mullet Boyz covering many 80s classics along with some recent hits as well. The Casey Donahew Band topped off the night with a stellar performance. Casey played many songs off his latest album, Standoff, including the recent #1 song on the Texas Radio charts, Whiskey Baby. He also dipped back in the catalog and played a few singalong songs that all his fans knew the words too. The 75 minute set didn't seem to leave anyone disappointed.

Opening the show Saturday night was Wichita Falls natives twicebroken with yet another superb performance. After being rained out at last year’s event, the boys in the The Marshall Tucker Band were ready to put on a show for their Wichita Falls fans, and made it a point to thank them for waiting a whole year to see them. After playing plenty of their old hits and tossing in a few new pieces to showcase the amazing talent in each member of the band, Doug Gray from the Marshall Tucker Band brought his old friend Don Chance, veteran road performer and music columnist for the Times Record News, on stage to play some lead riffs on a few of their songs.

No, it wasn’t quite the same as the traditional outdoor concerts we’re accustomed to, but it was pretty darned close. While the jury’s still out on any sort of permanent move to the MPEC area you have to admit that there are a lot of advantages. If the weather’s good, there’s plenty of space to hold the evening concerts outside, and if the weather’s dicey, there’s always the coliseum. Parking is a lot easier, too.